


destined

by fabulousfairytales



Series: The Schmico Advent Calendar 2019 [2]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, Schmico, The Schmico Advent Calendar 2019, bur well we also got the soulmate stuff, following canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21691648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabulousfairytales/pseuds/fabulousfairytales
Summary: Once you're ten years old, you can communicate with your soulmate by writing on your skin.
Relationships: Nico Kim/Levi Schmitt
Series: The Schmico Advent Calendar 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559269
Comments: 16
Kudos: 291





	destined

**Author's Note:**

> He-hello and happy St. Nicholas Day!! I've been working on this story for quite some time and thinking of it for even longer. I hope you enjoy it! :)

The concept of soulmates was unknown to Nico up until he turned ten years old and saw the words _tomato paste, sugar_ and _butter_ appear on his mother’s hand. It suddenly appeared on her skin and Nico was freaking out. That was the moment when his mother realized that nobody had told him about soulmates yet.

Rather than just telling him what all this was about, they waited for Nico’s father to come home an hour later. They told Nico that everybody had a soulmate, be it platonic or romantic.

Most people have one, but some people have more than one. And when you turn ten years old, you will be able to exchange little messages by writing or drawing on your skin. Whatever you put onto your arm, it will appear on the other person’s arm.

“Ohhh. That’s pretty cool,” Nico mumbled, staring blankly at his bare arms for about a minute before jumping up and running into his room.

He rummaged around in the drawer of his desk until he found a green felt tip. Green was his favorite color and he wanted that his first message to his soulmate was written in that color.

**Hello! ☀**

When he was done, Nico put the pen back into his drawer and sat down on his bed, staring at his arm as he was waiting for an answer. After 5 minutes, Nico let out a frustrated sigh and plodded back downstairs. He threw himself onto the couch next to his big sister and leaned his head against her shoulder.

Nadia looked over at him and noticed the green writing on his arm. She chuckled.

“I heard you learned about soulmates,” she noted.

“Yes, but they’re not answering,” Nico replied with a little pout.

“Well, when did you write that?”

“Over 5 minutes ago!” Nico exclaimed, causing Nadia to snort.

“Nico, 5 minutes is nothing,” she laughed. “They might live in another time zone than we do. They could be sleeping right now. Or, I don’t know, maybe they’re younger and what you are writing doesn’t show up on their arm yet,” she explained as she ran her hand through her little brother’s hair. It was unfair how soft his hair was. Hers was dry and a little brittle from bleaching and dying it fire engine red.

“Hmm.” Nico was thinking about it and nodded when he had decided that what his sister said made sense. His sister was very smart. Whenever he had a question, she would find the answer to it. To Nico, it was somehow hard to believe that she and Jun-ho, Nico’s older brother, were actually twins. Because Jun-ho was a big dumb-dumb. Nico loved his big brother dearly, but he couldn’t deny that he would do really stupid stuff on a regular basis. Like breaking his arm while trying to open a jar. Or then breaking it again because he went skateboarding while wearing a cast.

You know, dumb-dumb stuff.

“So what should I do?” Nico then asked.

“Wait.”

“Wait?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing else that you could do now.”

Nico sighed frustrated. He hated waiting. “This sucks,” he muttered.

“Nico Kim what did you just say?!” He heard the voice of his mother come from the kitchen.

Oh no.

-

It’s been four years ever since Nico found out about this whole soulmate thing. In the first two months, he left his soulmate daily messages and little drawings. Nico eventually decided to reduce them to monthly ones. He had marked every 13th of a month to remind himself to write a small “Hello” onto his arm. After a year of doing this, he didn’t want to be constantly disappointed anymore, so he made it an annual thing.

And today was the day again. It was the 13th of June and Nico was thinking about what he’d write on his arm today. He thought about it long and hard and then it hit him.

What if his soulmate didn’t even speak English? What if he’ll meet his soulmate while they’re visiting his parents’ families in Korea? Maybe he should try writing something in Korean?

Yes. Yes, it was worth a try.

Carefully, he wrote the Korean letters onto his arm, hoping this time his soulmate would answer. If they wouldn’t, then maybe Nico should seriously just stop and live his life like the others who didn’t have soulmates yet. His classmate, Clara for example, wasn’t able to talk to her soulmate either and she seemed okay.

Maybe this whole soulmate thing was just complete bullshit. Not everyone had one. It would be okay if he didn’t have one either. At least he’ll wouldn’t have to wonder about what they were doing right in this moment. Or with whom.  
However, this time when he finished up the short phrase, he felt a soft buzz on his skin. It didn’t hurt, but it was a noticeable sensation that he has never felt before.

Could it mean that…?

Could it mean that maybe this time it worked?

-

“Mom! Mom! My soulmate drew something!” Levi exclaimed excited.

He had been waiting for this moment for over a month and now it finally happened. Some to Levi unknown symbols had appeared on his arm a minute ago and Levi was ecstatic. He ran downstairs into the living room and showed his mother his left arm.

“Look! They drew these symbols!”

“Oh honey,” Myrna smiled, “I don’t think these are just symbols. I think it’s a different language,” she said as she studied the writing more closely. She was sure that she had seen them before somewhere.

“Oh.” Levi enthusiasm dropped. “So they won’t understand me if I write ‘hello’ back?” He asked as his shoulders slumped down in disappointment.

“Maybe not. But how about we go to the bookstore around the corner and look if we can find a dictionary or something?” She suggested. Levi’s eyes grew big and he nodded excited before running to the hallway to put on his shoes.

Myrna just chuckled as she put her book away and followed him. It was a warm summer day, so there was no use for a jacket. Instead, she just grabbed her purse and took her son’s hand as they left the house.

The bookstore was only a five-minute walk away and she was trying her best to slow down her energetic son. She got it though. She remembered the first time she discovered the little doodles on her arm. As it would turn out, her soulmate was in her class in her senior year and just as you would expect it, it felt like they were made for each other.

Thomas was kind and he was sweet. And he wanted to make the world a better place. They were happy. They were happy for a long time. That was until he came back from the Gulf War. He had changed. A lot. He had changed so much that Myrna didn’t feel safe around him anymore. And considering that she had just found out that she was pregnant, she couldn’t just stay, waiting for him to explode. She wished that she could’ve helped him. But he pushed her away and she couldn’t make him get help if he didn’t even want it himself in the first place.

Sometimes being someone’s soulmate was no guarantee for lifelong happiness. You can love someone and be made for each other, and yet it isn’t enough. Having a soulmate doesn’t protect you from tragedy striking. It was a harsh truth and Myrna had learned it the hard way, but it was what it was.

She once agreed to let him meet Levi. She had thought about it for a long time and eventually decided that she did want him to meet his son as he had told her that he’s in the hospital, trying to get help.

It turned out that he was actually suffering from a brain tumor. He didn’t have much time left and the moment Myrna found out about it, in his hospital room, she just broke down crying.  
She didn’t want to admit it before, but she had hoped that now that he was at the hospital getting treatment, they could maybe find to each other again. That they could be family. That they could be… happy. Together.

But that never happened and she had to watch her soulmate die right in front of her. It broke her heart, but she knew that she couldn’t let that bring her down. If she was alone, maybe it would’ve. But she wasn’t. She had this beautiful boy that she loved with everything she had and she just couldn’t let him down.

When Myrna opened the door to the bookstore, Levi was racing to the language book section, comparing those symbols on his arm with the ones in the books. It took them a few minutes until they finally found out that the symbols on his arms were Korean letters.

After careful consideration, they picked out two books, one book for beginners and one with many, many different phrases to talk to people. When they finally arrived home, Levi couldn’t wait to open up the books and redraw the Hangul letters he was seeing in them.

The first thing he did after arriving at home was to race to the coffee table, open the beginners book and look for the phrase his soulmate wrote a few hours ago.

“Mommy! Mommy!” He exclaimed when he found it. “It means hello!” Carefully he got out his favorite orange marker and redrew the little symbols he saw in the book onto his arm, right under the ones from his soulmate.

-

They didn’t have full-on conversations. Mostly because they were four years apart and at that age, it was a lot. It didn’t bother Nico too much, he knew that he had a whole lifetime in front of him of talking to his soulmate.

Also because writing long messages took up a lot of space and Nico didn’t want more attention drawn to him, because there were weird symbols on his arms.

His soulmate was nice. Sometimes when Nico felt down, they would write some encouraging words onto his arm for Nico to see. It wasn’t scientifically proven or anything, but when he was eleven years old his older sister Nadia once told him that sometimes when soulmates were exceptionally compatible, they could feel the other’s emotions when they’re strong enough.

Nico was sure that they were those kind of soulmates. Even if it was just because he wanted them to be so bad.

-

**So where do you live?**

_Should we really share our location?_

**I mean, we’re soulmates. It’s not like I would do anything bad to you.**

There was a pause in which Nico worried for a moment if he was being too bold. After all, his soulmate was only 11 years old at this point. Sometimes it was weird. Having a soulmate that still had perfect skin without having to do anything for it. There was a whole shelf full of products to slap onto his face so his skin is smooth and glowing. Granted, most of it belonged to his mother and sisters, but they were the ones hammering into his brain how important it was to moisturize and wear sunscreen.

He let out a breath of relief when he felt the familiar slight scratch of a new message appearing on his skin.

 _I’m from Seattle_.

Nico blinked at his arm. Seattle. Seattle? What…?

He switched to English.

**You mean as in Seattle in the USA?**

_Yes! You speak English too? Then where are you from?_

**I’m from San Francisco.**

There was a pause. For about 5 minutes. Nico got nervous. Did he scare them away?

_Wow. We’re dumb-dumbs._

Nico let out a laugh. Yeah. Yeah, they definitely were.

-

**Bread**

**Milk**

**Rice**

**Chili paste**

**Toilet paper**

_Do not use me as your grocery list._

Nico chuckled. Sometimes he forgot that everything would just show up on his soulmate’s arm too.

**Sorry, didn't have paper on me.**

_Don’t you have a phone?_

Oh. Nico never thought about this. His soulmate’s mind was truly powerful sometimes.

-

The day he met Aiden, Nico was finally able to breathe.

Aiden was tall, just like himself. His hair was brown and his eyes as blue as the lake that Nico’s family visited every summer. Sometimes, when he talked about his passion that was making music, he had this little smile on his lips that Nico found himself completely enchanted by.

He didn’t make the connection until a few months later when they sat at the campfire that Nico ignited a few hours before. As Aiden was looking up into the night sky, a smile on his lips, something in Nico’s brain clicked.

He was in love.

-

**I think I’m in love.**

Levi’s heart sank.

_I’m happy for you._

-

_Uhm, what the fuck are you doing??_

“Hey Link, you got a pen for me?” Nico asked a little confused.

“Sure thing buddy.”

**What do you mean?**

_Why do I feel tiny needles poking into my skin?_

Then, a minute later.

_ARE YOU GETTING A TATTOO????_

**Uh yeah.**

_WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS OKAY WITHOUT ASKING ME FIRST??_

“You didn’t even ask him? Shit dude, you’re a moron,” Jay laughed as he moved the tattoo needle away from his friend’s arm.

“I just... Fuck.”

**Oh shit, dude. I’m sorry I didn’t think that it would be on your skin too.**

_WHY WOULDN’T IT BE ON MY SKIN???_

**Uhh, should I stop?**

A few minutes went by until he got an answer.

_Continue. It looks cool. But you’re an idiot for thinking it wouldn’t show up._

Jay just snickered. “You got a feisty one there,” he noted and wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

“Shut up and continue,” Nico muttered.

-

**We might live in the same city soon.**

Levi didn’t see the message until he threw the blanket over his body. He had been assisting Doctor Grey all-day and was at Joe’s with his friends afterwards. It was the middle of the night and Levi was just so unbelievably and utterly tired, but the moment his eyes caught on the scribbles on his arm, he was wide awake.

His soulmate would be living here soon.

_What?!_

_Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited!_

_But why? When?_

His heart was beating faster and he was hoping that his soulmate was up and had time to answer, but a few minutes later he fell asleep.

The next morning he woke up, he glanced at his arm and smiled when he saw the new writing.

**My mentor got a job in Seattle and might take me with him for my fellowship.**

That day, nothing could wipe off the smile off Levi’s face. Not even the teenager that had a pen stuck in his hand. And yes, it went right through the middle of it. Levi didn’t even once feel like throwing up.

-

_Should we draw something onto our arms so we’ll recognize each other?_

**Dude.**

_Yeah?_

**We have the same exact tattoo.**

_Oh._

Nico shook his head and chuckled as he put his last books into the carton in front of him. He was astonished that all he needed were three cartons and a big suitcase to gather all his belongings.

He wondered if his soulmate was like him or if they kept a lot of things.

-

The night before Nico started his job at the Grey-Sloan Memorial, he had trouble falling asleep. His arm had been itching where his soulmate had left his last message. It was a good luck, accompanied by a smiley with cat ears. Or wiggling eyebrows. Nico wanted to ask, but he had been busy arranging the furniture in his new apartment and now it was 1 am and he didn’t want to wake them at this time of the day. He knew that his soulmate had to get up even earlier than him.

So instead, he was just staring at his ceiling, dreaming of his new job and the opportunities that it would give him. Tomorrow, he would start his fellowship year and he was so excited about it. He knew that it would be stressful, but to be honest, he liked a little bit of stress. It kept him on edge, kept him sharp and that was just what he needed so the loneliness of living alone wouldn’t seep in too quickly.

-

Levi had never seen somebody being wrapped around a bike like this. He always heard the expression, but he never truly saw it in person. Now he did and he was proud that it didn’t make him pass out. It didn’t even make him feel nauseous and that was truly an accomplishment.

Maybe it was because Levi wanted to prove himself, but he found himself enjoy working in trauma.

Nisha was high on pain meds so when she babbled something about heaven and love, Levi just smiled awkwardly and continued to assist Dr. Avery. He felt a slight buzz in his arm, but his brain didn’t really register it as he was concentrating on Nisha in front of him. Only when he heard an unfamiliar voice, he looked up and noticed the two new doctors in front of him.

“Somebody asked for an ortho god?”

Wow, he could swear he just threw up a little in his mouth. But then his eyes wandered to the other man in navy blue and his brain just turned itself off. Who was that?

“It is heaven,” Nisha purred.

He has never seen him before. He must be new. What if – No. No, that sure as hell was not his soulmate. He couldn’t be. This guy was way out of his league. Also, he was a guy. A dude. A man.

Levi has never been with a man before. He also wasn’t gay. He would’ve known if he was gay.

Or would he?

“She’s got a nasty open femur fracture, for sure. But I do not wanna take it off the metal,” the blonde surgeon who introduced himself as Atticus Lincoln said.

“Trying to control the bleeding before we take the metal bars off, right?” Replied his fellow. Levi couldn’t quite catch his name yet. God, he really wanted to know his name.

“Bingo.”

Levi couldn’t quite explain it, but he wanted to talk to him. To be near him. This was all so new to him and he didn’t understand why it was even happening. Whatever this was, Levi found himself awfully attracted to this new ortho fellow and he didn’t like how confused it left him.

-

Nico has been getting static shocks throughout this whole day. He was sure it’s those dumb new sneakers his younger sister Yunjae gave him a few days ago. They were intended for her boyfriend’s birthday, but then they broke up weeks ago and she already had paid for them, so she gave them to Nico.

He thought it’d be a good idea, but by the time he got his third shock, he was done with them. Tomorrow, he’ll wear his old trusty black trainers again.

He felt another shock when they entered the ER, but this time he didn’t flinch. No, this was their big entrance. He had to look cool and put together. God, he sounded like a high schooler.

Nisha was adorable, but also a little weird. He couldn’t blame her though, this was an awful situation for her to be in with. Maybe it was just her way of coping with the pain.

He turned around to get the file from the intern assigned to her case. But when he saw him, he stopped. Just for a second and just to get a good glimpse at him. If his soulmate worked at his hospital, he was sure that this intern had to be it. There was no other explanation for this sudden attraction that he felt.

Sure, it could be because he was new in town and horny and a little bit lonely, but other than that, this was it. Even if he wasn’t his soulmate, Nico was set on getting to know the guy. He was cute and a little nerdy.

Which was exactly his type.

-

Before Levi got to enter the OR, he could catch a glimpse of the two new self-poclaimed ortho gods scrubbing in. Although, he was sure that only Dr.Lincoln saw himself as a god. Or at least he hoped so. He didn’t need a fellow with an inflated ego.

Well, he didn’t need him specifically. But, well… His point was that there were already enough doctors who thought they own the world. He just hoped that Nico wasn’t this far yet.

And yes, his name was Nico. They had introduced themselves again after their dramatic walk-in and now Levi couldn’t forget not only his perfectly sculpted face, but also his name.

The surgery started soon after all the staff found their places in the OR. Levi was standing kind of in the back, which really wasn’t optimal, considering that he wasn’t the tallest guy, but it was what it was. At least he got to be in there and watch. At this point in his career, things like these were one of the most important things an he’s be damned if he didn’t took every chance he got.

Everything went well except for the conversation between the three attendings. Hunt and Avery clearly disliked the way Dr. Lincoln operated in his OR when he made Nico turn on the music. Which was kinda well, it was his OR, but whatever, Levi thought. He’s gotten used to their egos.

So instead of listening to the pissing contest in front of him, Levi decided to focus on something else. Or well, someone else.

During all of this there was one person who hadn’t said much yet. This new fellow. All he did was to listen to the attendings’ conversation, add some commentary and do his own job. Levi was fascinated by him to say the least. So in an attempt to get a better glance at Nico’s… skills and only his skills, totally not his face, Levi leaned over a bit, attracting the attention of the fellow.

He tried to stay cool and not look him directly in the eye, but when he did, something happened. The unthinkable. The one thing Levi didn’t at all see coming and that threw him completely off.

Nico just winked at him. He winked at him, and Levi’s brain stopped functioning once again. Perplexed, Levi let the metal bowl in his hands slide down and hit the ground in loud clinks.

This guy fucking winked at him in front of all of those people and nobody seemingly noticed. What they noticed, however, was Levi being a mess. Which, to be honest, was nothing new, but Levi had tried so hard to leave that image behind him only for it to be revived again, because this very hot guy had to wink at him in the middle of a procedure.

As much as he wanted to curse the guy, he couldn’t. There was something about him. Something that Levi couldn’t explain.

“Sorry. Sorry. I feel like I’m drowning in testosterone,” he found himself babbling. Oh great, because that made so much sense.

He’ll never get away from his reputation of being a fucking weirdo.

-

When Nico entered the bar he took a long glance around the space. It must be a popular place since almost every seat available was taken.

Looking around, he saw the intern from earlier sit at the bar with his friends. In a quick idea, he went up to the bar to get two beers and then slid into the seat next to him.

“Here you go,” he said, grinning wide. He felt like a school boy who got a seat on the bus next to his crush.

“That’s for me?” Levi asked taken aback. He looked like he hadn’t expected for anyone to buy him a drink tonight. Well, Nico was glad to have already made an impression.

“You had a rough day. Glad to see you got sprung.” Another smile.

“Well here, I can pay –“ Levi began as he reached for his wallet, but got stopped by Nico placing his hand on top of his’. They looked at each other for a moment and Nico enjoyed every moment he got to keep his hand there.

“You’ll get the next one,” Nico finally replied with a smirk before heading off to Link’s table.

-

_My day was so weird._

**Why that?**

_Just some confusing things happened. How was your first day?_

**Amazing. I already got to work on a cool case.**

_That’s great._

-

“Great, there’re showers in here.” Levi heard Nico when he entered the locker room. Why was he here? First he buys him a drink and now he conveniently wants to take a shower here? Maybe he was stalking Levi.

But if he was being honest, Levi didn’t mind. Wait, what?

“Fellows have a lounge on three.” Why would he say that? This was his chance to get a better glimpse at the fellow in front of him. He still wasn’t quite sure why he even wanted to get a better look at him, but here they were.

“You kicking me out?” Nico asked as he took off his scrub shirt in a swift motion. He must’ve had extra training in how to take off a shirt, because nobody looked that good when taking off – And then Levi’s thoughts came to a stop when he saw it.

His eyes widened and his breath hitched. It was him.

It was him.

Nico, the hot ortho fellow had the same tattoo of a wave on his upper arm as he had. It was the same exact tattoo at the same exact position.

That’s it, there was no doubt.

Nico Kim, the man that Levi was mysteriously attracted to, was his soulmate.

“No,” he quickly replied, looking down at the rest of Nico’s toned body.

“Cool.”

Yeah cool, Levi thought.

-

“Taryn,” Levi suddenly spoke up. Dahlia and Casey have gone up to the bar to order some drinks and that’s when Levi took his chance to talk to his friend about that thing that had bothered him for the past few hours.

His friend looked up from her empty bottle of beer in front of her.

“He speaks,” she noted surprised. She knew that something must’ve happened since he’s been quiet all night.

“What does it mean if you’re a guy and you thought you were straight, but your soulmate is also a guy and you’re feeling strangely attracted to him, because he’s really hot and also maybe actually interested in you and your brain just implodes every time you see him?”

 _Wow, what a sentence_ , Levi thought.

Taryn gave him a confused look, before a smirk spread across her lips. “Wait. You met your soulmate? Who is it? And how do you know? And also does he know?” _Also also, I fucking knew it!_

“I think… I mean I know I did. He has the same tattoo as me. It is actually his tattoo!”

“How did you end up seeing his tattoo?”

And so, Levi told her everything about how the tattoo got onto his skin in the first place and what happened in the locker room just a few hours ago. By the time he finished up his story, Dahlia and Casey were back, all three of them now staring at him in shock about these revelations.

“Shut up. Him?!” As much as Taryn was shocked, she was ecstatic. Oh, this would be fun. So. Much. Fun.

“The ortho fellow? Damn Levi. You got taste.” Dahlia obviously approved of Nico.

“Yes, him. Oh my god. I mean –“ He paused. “I mean, what do I even say to him? Hello, so you’ve been after me I know, but get this: We’re soulmates.”

“Yes, exactly that,” Casey said, placing a freshly bought bottle of beer in front of Levi’s nose.

“Ha-ha,” Levi huffed and took a big gulp. Maybe if he drowned his confusion in alcohol it’ll go away.

Maybe he wasn’t as entirely straight as he thought he was. Maybe, those feelings he thought he had for Henry from eighth grade which he quickly repressed, were real. And maybe, just maybe, Nico Kim was his soulmate in a non-platonic way.

-

Nico knew that something had changed the moment he took off his shirt. There was something in Levi’s eyes that threw the fellow off and he couldn’t for the love of everything holy, figure it out.

Maybe Levi was just really uptight and didn’t expect him to show off like that. Maybe he was confused by the sudden move and Nico scared him off with it. Taking off your shirt in front of your crush to impress them sure sounded desperate. Oh God, what has he done? That’s probably the reason why he was trying to avoid him.

And then Nico pushed him to finally get that drink with him over and over again. He should’ve just dropped it. He had realized that his behavior was not okay after he asked him the gazillionth time and decided that if Levi actually showed up, he would give him his space. If he really wanted to drink with him, he could always come over and sit with him and his friends. Easy.

So when Levi actually showed up at Joe’s, Nico’s heart almost jumped out of his chest. He had to remind himself that his objective for the evening was to let Levi have his space and to be open to spend time with him if he chooses so.

In the end, he was glad he did, because Levi never set foot into his direction the whole evening.

But today was his lucky day. Today, Levi was sent to ortho to follow around Link and himself. The moment Levi informed Nico’s mentor that he was on his service for the day, Nico’s head shot up and his heart began to race again. It took a moment until he regained his cool and was able to tell the intern that he’ll show him ortho. Oh, and how he will show him.

Link was right, Levi was a natural. And knowing that, did so many new things to Nico. He knew that Levi was smart. But he was actually smart-smart. Or just well-prepared. Or both. Either way, was impressed which led him to his fifth try of asking him out. Which, by the way, went as well as the other four before that. He just couldn’t figure him out.

Even when he asked about what his deal was, he only got an even more confusing answer. He decided not to push any further and instead at least make it known to him that he himself had no boyfriend and that he was open to meeting someone. You know, so he knows that Nico is an option.

And after all of this, all the confusion and attraction and weird feelings, he was lead to this moment where he was about to enter the elevator with only him and his crush inside.

“Hey. How'd you feel today?” Nico asked as the doors closed. Levi looked at him confused.

“What do you mean?”

“With ortho?”

“Oh. Uh, terrific.” He was nervous. Nico thought it was cute. “You're a great teacher.”

That he was. He couldn’t help but to smirk, but it quickly faded when he stepped closer, into Levi’s personal space. He played with the lapels of his white coat and when he didn’t back away he grabbed them to pull him closer. Both of them knew what was going to happen and he could feel his heart jump right before their lips finally touched.

He wrapped his arms around Levi and he could feel the other’s hands wander up his arm to his neck as he eagerly reciprocated the kiss. He felt Levi pull him a little more down and he gladly obliged just so they could continue what they were doing for as long as possible.

You know how sometimes once you get something that you’ve been waiting for such a long time, it’s not as good as you thought it’ll be and you’re disappointed a little that it actually happened and not just stayed in your imagination? Yeah well, this wasn’t any of those things.  
This was just what he’s been waiting for, for months. And it was even better than he could’ve ever dreamt of.

The moment he heard the already familiar ‘ping’ of the elevator, he abruptly pulled away, leaving an overwhelmed Levi behind. One guy entered the elevator and Nico waited for him to get off again until he quickly turned around to face Levi once again.

“Sorry. That was abrupt,” he apologized. More for the ending than his attack of a kiss.

“I-I just had to see if –“

“It was perfect,” Levi interrupted, causing Nico to let out a relieved smile. “The, uh, um When – The –”

“Are you okay?” Nico stopped his babbling. He was still so nervous. It was really cute. 

“That was my first time. Today. Doing ortho stuff.” What. “Up until now, I've been focusing on general, and it never really felt right, but I liked that. Ortho. And you're a really great teacher.“

This information hit Nico like a nuclear bomb. He was his first?

“Wait. That was your first kiss?”

“With a - guy.”

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no. No. Not this again.

“Oh. Wow. I'm sorry, dude. If I would've known that, I would've never –”

“Y-You said you would teach me, and I want to learn.”

God, why did it always hit him? Hadn’t he gone through enough guys who just wanted to _test the waters_ or _see if I’m really not gay?_ Why him? Normally he could sense those kind of guys, but with Levi…

“Okay, look, you're cute and nerdy and weird, and that's usually my type.” He was 100% Nico’s type.

“But I've done my coming out already. I can't go through it again. I can't teach you how to do this. I'm sorry.” There was just too much heartbreak he already went through. And he didn’t want to go through it again.

Thankfully the elevator doors opened again so Nico turned around and left.

“But I, uh I thought this was a teaching hospital!” He heard Levi yell after him.

It was, but Nico wasn’t anyone’s Guinea pig. Not again.

-

**I kissed someone today.**

_I did too._

-

This whole day has been a mess. First he banished himself into the clinic, with Nico of all people, and then they fight so much that this idiot rather got blown into an ambulance by the raging storm outside instead of just waiting with him in the safety that was the clinic. So Levi had to save this grown ass adult that was behaving like the biggest drama queen and in the process, lost his glasses.

So now they were here, sitting in an ambulance, fighting again, because Nico had to be an ass about being his first guy.

“You know what’s also your fault? The fact that you think I have a shame spiral, because I don’t. I’m not spiraling. I’m a nerd. I’m no more ashamed of being attracted to guys than I am of anything else in my life.”

It was true. He wasn’t ashamed of being attracted to guys. It was surely a new realization, but that didn’t invalidate his statement.

“…the point is, sex wasn’t on the table for us. So I didn’t know I was gay. And then I saw your tattoo. I knew that I had feelings for boys, but I didn’t understand it. Not until you kissed me. You kissed me and I felt the opposite of shame. I felt like I existed and everything fell in place. For the first time it felt like I was holding the sunsword and I –“ He got quickly interrupted by Nico’s lips on his. And for a quick second he kissed him back, until he pulled away, holding him at an arm’s length away from him.

“Are-are you just kissing me to get me to stop talking?” He asked.

“No.” Nico gave him the softest smile he had ever seen on him and in that moment he knew that they belonged together. So in a swift move, he closed the distance between them until he captured Nico’s lips with his own again.

The kiss between them got heated and Levi already forgot the world around them, but then Nico was the one to suddenly pull away to look at him puzzled.

“What did you mean with when you saw my tattoo?” He was still panting a little, but he was too curious not to ask him. Because if it meant what he thought it meant he –

Instead of saying anything, Levi took off his shirt, revealing the wave tattoo on his upper arm.

“You,” Nico whispered, mind blown completely away.

“Yes.”

Their mouths met again and the world around them dissolved into a pool of nothingness.

-

“Wow.” Nico’s voice was only a breath.

“What?”

“The color of your eyes.” He caressed Levi’s cheek. “It’s my favorite color.”

Levi just stared at him for a moment, shaking his head slightly and letting out a quiet laugh.

“You are so cheesy.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! If you did, let me know! Comments are a great motivator :)
> 
> If you have a prompt or sth, my tumblr is [orthoglasses](http://orthoglasses.tumblr.com/)!


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